NBAA2013 News Bureau

NBAA’s Air Traffic Services Leading Several Sessions at NBAA2013

October 20, 2013

For anyone who’s ever wondered how all the air traffic pieces fit together during a flight, NBAA’s Air Traffic Services (ATS) team is offering several sessions at the 2013 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA2013) to help demystify the process and provide updates on all that ATS has to offer Members.

“Some days it must seem like total chaos, while in truth, there really is one place where it all comes together – the FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC),” said NBAA Air Traffic Management Specialist John Kosak.

The ATCSCC was created in 1994 as a way to centralize the air traffic management decisions throughout the National Airspace System (NAS), and since 2001, ATS has given a voice to business aviation concerns in the NAS as one of only three guests on the operations floor representing their members.

“Members who attend these ATS sessions will learn firsthand how to maximize their operational efficiency in the NAS from air traffic management specialists who work side-by-side with the air traffic managers on the FAA ATCSCC operations floor,” Kosak explained.

ATS Operations

Business aviation representation begins with NBAA’s ATS air traffic management specialists participating in the bi-hourly FAA planning telcons throughout the day. These telcons include involvement by the en- route centers, TRACONs, towers and other stakeholders throughout the system. Participants discuss the appropriate measures to take each day in order to manage air traffic around any constraints throughout the system.

ATS also works with the FAA to prepare for major events, such as the upcoming Super Bowl in the New York City area this year.

“Planning for this year’s big game started virtually the week after last year’s Super Bowl and will continue up until the day after the event,” Kosak said. “We work to make sure that the FAA, TSA and others understand the unique demands of business aviation during these events.”

Additionally, business aviation representation continues on various FAA collaborative decision making (CDM) workgroups, which explore better ways to move aircraft around the surface of an airport, better flow control initiatives for airspace constraints and new or improved weather tools or forecasts.

This year, ATS also launched FileSmart, which was developed by, and in cooperation with the FAA, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and National Air Transportation Association. The initiative promotes three specific tasks GA aircraft operators should incorporate into their flight planning: File early, file accurately and check the conditions in the NAS.

In development for more than a year, FileSmart seeks to educate aircraft operators – including pilots, schedulers/dispatchers and flight department managers – about how filing timely and accurate flight plans can help aviation-system managers anticipate need, so that significant delays and other disruptions to aviation traffic flow can be avoided.